Mathews schools ready for opening day

Fifth grade math teacher Tracy Slaughter spend all summer getting her new classroom at Thomas Hunter Middle School ready for the opening day of classes on Tuesday. Photo by Charlie Koenig

No big changes are in store for Mathews County Public Schools, when it opens its doors to students on Tuesday morning for the start of the 2010-2011 academic year.

"We’re trying to build on what we’ve done in the past," said Superintendent of Schools David J. Holleran, and "just tweak it to make things better."

Mathews has a strong base upon which to build—all three schools made the federal Adequate Yearly Progress benchmark last year and Mathews High School, Thomas Hunter Middle School and Lee-Jackson Elementary School all appear poised to achieve full state accreditation once again.

"We’re ready," Holleran said, "Everbody’s in good spirits. We’ve had training … they’re going on as we speak," he said on Tuesday, as teachers and administrators were learning everything from the division’s new online grade book program to the proper method for restraining unruly students.